Dave Bihn possesses a wealth of knowledge about wine and beer which he freely dispenses at Grapes of Mirth. His shop is well stocked with wines (and beer!) from around the world that offer great value to the customer. Be sure to stop by on Saturdays for tasting!

I made one of those WOW dinners last night. I got bison shanks from North Market Poultry and Game and had some leftover Calasparra rice (traditionally for paella) that I had purchased from Curds and Whey.

The menu ended up being Bison Osso Buco and mushroom risotto, since I had ample carrots, celery, and mushrooms from earlier foraging at Greener Grocer. I got recipes from Saveur Cooks Authentic Italian and used them as templates, as I often do. (When in the kitchen, I like to have a guideline, but I have enough years of experience to take a few detours.)

Everything turned out beautifully! Bison was deeper flavored than veal would’ve been, so the mushrooms in the risotto worked out really well.

And the kicker? No Italian Red in the house. Me. A wine shop owner. Not a single bottle of Italian red in the basement… Oh, well. I’m correcting that problem. I had a really deep older California Merlot that usually drinks like a Pomerol. It worked out really well, too.